Do Not Go Shopping and Leave your Dog in a HOT CAR

We read these headlines all the time and most of us abide by the rules knowing that it is morally wrong and that we could be charged with a crime for being negligent. But yesterday while shopping at Camarillo Outlet Mall, I came out of a store and another lady had just noticed that a big fluffy dog had been left in the car and only the front windows were down about 1" on both sides.

The dog was already panting but did not look like it was in distress yet. The temperature was about 81 degrees outside so that is approx. 101 degrees or more inside the car which is not safe for a dog with a heavy coat of fur.

I got so angry that anyone would be so stupid and just then a security guard came driving by and she alerted him to the situation. He ran up to the car and then immediately alerted his dispatch and they called the Sheriff's Dept. We were told that the Deputies were enroute and would get the dog out before it was too late.

This dog was panting and it was so upsetting for all of us standing there and feeling helpless! It is very hard to sit on the sidelines while a poor animal is being mistreated. A crowd was forming so we walked to our car. While walking, I noticed 4 or 5 people who had their dogs with them but had them on leashes and were walking them in the shade. One lady was giving her dog water from a thermos she had brought with her. Now these are responsible pet owners.

I love my dogs but usually just leave them at home with the high temps of summer. I have one firm rule; I never leave my dogs in the car alone. I cannot imagine going shopping and leaving my dog locked in a hot car.

As we were pulling out of the outlet mall parking lot, we saw a police unit arrive so we knew the dog would be rescued shortly. The owner does not deserve to have a pet if they cannot take good care of it.

Do Not Go Shopping and Leave your Dog locked in a HOT CAR and do I have to include "Do not leave your small child in a car alone"!

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Well maybe these irresponsible pet owners should be locked in a car at 100 degrees plus and see how they like it! I saw on the news the other day where a father was in a hurry and ran inside and forgot to get his child out of the backseat and it did not end well. How could you forget your child!

I agree but unfortunately the laws are not as strict on cruelty to animals so a felony charge is only worth 1 yr. Isn't that sad and I think it is pretty much like that all across the country. Most drivers probably get off with a fine and a slap on the wrist.

Kristin, I am so adamant and passionate about that subject. I ran into a similar situation several months here in FL at the Wall mart and it was really HOT! I went into the store to have the owner paged while another gentleman called the police. The owner was at the customer service desk and said she was only going to be a few moments, I offered to lock her in the vehicle and take her dog in the shade.

I love it! That was a wonderful thing to say. Sometimes we wish later we had said something but didn't. Very proud of you as the poor kids and dogs/cats only have us to stand up and help them. Too bad they didn't make her go to court. She is the type who will probably do it again if she didn't get a ticket.

I am not sure what the penaties are across the nation but only a year per incident. Very sad but juries seem to give them the maximum sentence when brought before them. Kids, disabled persons, seniors and animals need to be protected from the wrong type of persons....and they should never be given a second chance.

We had a case just last week, a man left two rotties in his car, left the car running and the AC on. Problem is, the dogs must have hit the AC because the defroster was on when the man returned. The dogs were dead!

Hi Michael,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Our love for animals make us feel so passionate when some idiot does something so stupid like this. I would be glad for you to re-blog it as it is so important to get the word out. Thanks so much!

Hi Laura, Yikes, that makes me so sick to my stomach. A couple of weeks ago I took my chihuahua to the post office with me to drop a letter in the outside box and then I take her in a get her a child's size yogurt across the street. Problem was I forgot to put the stamp on the letter so I had to run in the post office and buy a stamp in the machine. I rolled the windows down about 3" in the front on both sides and locked the door, ran in and bought the stamp and ran out. It was 8:00 p.m. and about 75 degrees and no sunlight so it was cool enough but I felt so guilty even leaving her for 2 minutes max. I was really scared someone might try to steal her so I didn't want to leave the windows down too low.
She was barking at me when I came back towards the car and then I took her for her yogurt. But this is totally against my rule as I never leave dogs in the car. If it had been hot, I would have carried her in with me as she only weighs 5 lbs so I might have been able to sneak her in for a second.
People who leave their dogs in hot cars are so stupid and your story is a good example. How sad for the dogs! I hope the owner gets some jail time too.

We are empty nesters too and it upsets me when people do stupid things like this. Perhaps the owner thought she/he would be back soon but I have gone shopping and thought I would be done in 10 minutes or less. 45 minutes later I returned and thought where did the time go? You can just never be sure and it is just a bad idea and illegal to leave your pet in a hot car. Thanks for stopping by.

Hi Kristin, No matter how many times it's said, people still do it. Like CA, here in south FL cars heat up really fast. I wouldn't leave my dogs in a cold car, let alone a hot car. I just don't get it. Thank heavens you were there to save that dog!

Thanks for the nice words of kindness because the driver was mad of course! Mind your own business! Yep, making sure dogs don't die in hot cars is my business and the security officer and police took it seriously too. We have to watch out for the animals as some people are just stupid. I am with you...never leave a dog or cat alone in a car.

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